Large numbers of people have taken up golf in recent years. Significant numbers of golfers/athletes have difficulty controlling their club swing, and experience considerable difficulty putting a ball where intended. Difficulty in hitting the ball to land at an intended location lessens their enjoyment of the game.
Even though many golfers seek out the advice of an instructor to improve their golf game, mastery of a good golf swing requires considerable practice and discipline. Unfortunately, without an accurate and consistent swing, many golfers/athletes find the game frustrating as some shots arrive near their intended target, while others, seemingly made with exactly the same swing mechanics, land in the rough or far away from an intended target. Such experiences may be cumulative, discouraging some golfers because they cannot repeatedly execute the golf swing that produces their occasional ideal shot. And while the old saw that it only takes a single good shot during a round of golf to bring the player back for a successive round largely holds true, considerable numbers of players abandon the game due to an inconsistent swing.
A proper golf swing requires coordination between the golfer's arms and the upper and lower portions of the golfer's torso. Several devices have been proposed to improve a golfer's swing. Some of these devices work some extent, while others in effect hinder golfers from learning a proper swing. All these devices, however, neglect one or more features of the arrangement of the swinger's arm that the Applicant has found are critical to controlling a hit ball.
For example, at least one device attempts to coordinate the upper and lower body movement by connecting one of the golfer's shoulders to an opposing hip. Another device attaches to both the golfer's upper arms and encircles the golfer's upper body. Each of these devices, while somewhat effective in removing certain defects from a golfer's swing, fail to adequately control the arrangement of a golfer's arms, upper torso, and lower torso such that the swing in consistent enough throughout the swing so as to provide adequate swing control.
Consequently, there is a need for an apparatus that conditions the sportsman to maintain consistent relative arm placement during the motion of the swing of a sports stick such as a golf club or bat. The apparatus should control the placement of the arms relative to one another such that the swing is both controllable, repeatable, and such that a hit ball at least one of travels in a desired direction, travels in a desired trajectory, or arrives in proximity to a desired location. The apparatus should also assist the golfer in developing muscle memory that enables the sportsman to swing consistently without the apparatus after a period of training with the apparatus.